Pinterest--bathroom organization

I found a pin on pinterest that put a second shower rod on the back wall of the shower to hang up bath toys, shampoo, etc. Since having a baby in the house again we needed something to keep the shampoo and soap out of her reach and store the tub toys.
I got the rod and used some cheap plastic Easter baskets until I find something else, preferable long and narrow. Any suggestions?
Next up is painting this bathroom, but we are limited in color choices since there are colored tiles (green and Maroon) in the shower. D does not want it painted green again.... Any thoughts?

Toys and shampoo thrown on the floor so E doesn't get all of them.

Shower curtain rod and baskets.

A Little Summer Catch Up

It is so hard to believe it is already the middle of July, but thankfully we still have lots of summer left to enjoy!
It has been so hot and humid here in Michigan, this is pretty typical so I won't complain.  :)  We have enjoyed lots of pool time at our local gym.  The girls both really enjoy the water, so it is a fun time for all.  We would like to spend more time at the park, but the heat has kept us from this.
We had a fantastic trip to Chicago and Wisconsin.  I wish we had more time in Chicago!  We can't wait to go back.  D really loved the American Girl store, we set up an appointment for her to get Lanie's hair done and ears pierced.  We also set up a personal shopper (this is free and I highly recommend!) for her, this made decision making so much easier and check out was a breeze.  E was tired and cranky the whole time we were at the store, so that part wasn't much fun for N and I.  Our stay in Wisconsin was fun, but probably not something we would do again.  We enjoyed the water park-indoor and out-but really didn't feel like there was enough there to warrant another visit in the future.
D is visiting my parents in New York this week.  She is having a great time visiting old friends, eating out, and getting spoiled rotten.  We are looking forward to her return on Monday.  In the meantime E and I are staying busy around the house.
We are all hoping to go to NY in a couple of weeks, so mark your calendars!

We got lucky and were able to meet up with our NY friends that were in Chicago too!  Thank you Facebook for making us realize we would both be there that day!

D enjoying the diving board at our gym pool!

N coming down the slide at the waterpark.

D with her old doll and new doll!  Our personal shopper is in the background.

Reaching a Goal

Last fall I started to train for a 5K using a couch to 5K app on my phone.  I have never been much of a runner, but decided I needed a new workout routine, and I know many people who have learned to really love running so I jumped on the train.
I started off running on the treadmill at our gym, it was easier than I thought it was going to be thanks to the app and the TV in front of me.  I was running 3-4 times a week, always on the treadmill.  Around the holidays Big Daddy encouraged me to start running on the track, I am not sure why I was against this before, but I gave it a whirl.  By this time I was up to week 6 or 7 in my training, so this meant longer running times and less walking.  I took a bit of a break at Christmas, which made it hard when I started going back to the gym.  After a week or so I was feeling better and back in the grove.
Just as I was about to reach my 5K goal we got the call to take care of baby E.....I didn't have the heart to put her in the child care at the gym those first few weeks, so I again got off course.  Such is life.
In April I really got back into the game and found a running partner to keep me motivated.  It was also nice to finally be able to run outside, which made a huge different.  I slowly built my stamina back up and by May I was searching for my first 5K.
On June 23rd I finally ran my first 5K.  It was a bit of a challenging course for me, a mixture of pavement, rocky trail, and long grass.  I finished in just over 32 mins, which all things considering, I was proud of.

Schools out for Summer!

D had a great last week of school; it was filled with picnics, parties, exploring 1st grade, and lots of fun!  We are all looking forward to a fun summer!

Dressed for her rock video at school.

Celebrating with her friends at the Bummer, It's Summer picnic.

Picture booth at her centers party at school.

Our mother/daughter picture for Big Daddy.

D and G having fun at the park.

Last Day of School!

S and D:  Bus Buddies

Off to school!

Walking out for the last time as a kindergartner

Hugging her teacher!  

Water fun with her friends!  

Where has the time gone?

I cannot believe it is June already!  It has been a crazy, busy Spring!
What have we been up to since my last post, way back in March!?!  It is amazing how fast time flies when you have a little one in your house again (no new news on that front other than she is still with us)!  We have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, Easter, Memorial Day, school performances, etc.  Too much to blog about!
D is down to her last weeks of school, I can't believe she is going to be a 1st grader soon.  It makes me excited and sad at the same time.  She has done really well this year, her writing skills are amazing and she is building her reading skills slowly but surely.  She rocks at Math, which makes her dad happy!  She has had fun participating in a drama program, she was in two short skits and really did well.  The whole kindergarten put on a fantastic Patriotic Performance, the did great.  She had fun taking a Zumba class earlier this year and is back to taking swimming lessons.  She can't wait to go to the pool everyday.
I have been slowly training for my first 5K.  I have not really ran since high school and so my training has been super slow.  I was doing well and was up to 2 1/2 miles in January and then baby E came to stay with us and I sort of let it go.  I am back at it now and hope to run a local 5K in two weeks.  I have also adjusted some of my eating habits to boost my energy and get off a few pounds (it is swimming suit season!).  Thank you to all my friends for being an inspiration to me to keep going!

A little picture catch up!

Cruise-Formal Dinner

Delaney's 6th birthday

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Easter 2012

Patriotic Performance

School Projects

We spent the weekend helping D complete some school projects. The first project was for a social studies unit distinguishing between yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  They read the book Tell Me Again about the Night I was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis in school and to follow that up we had to tell D about the night she was born.  She then had to pick out some of her favorite parts and write them down.  Thankfully we have been telling D about the night she was born for a few years now, so we were prepared.  She loves the story and usually asks me to tell her it every few weeks at bedtime.

 

N had a fun time helping D design and make a 3D sea creature using recycled material for a contest at school.  It turned out pretty cool.

N is off to South America for the week, wish me luck as we have a busy week!

And These are the Days of our Lives....

I feel bad I haven't blogged in so long but not being able to blog about a huge part of our life right now makes it hard.  I can say that we have finally gotten into a good routine with our plus one, eating and sleeping are improving, and we are enjoying our time with her.  Sorry I can't share much else.

D is doing good, working hard on learning to read and still loves to write.  N is trying to get her back out on the slopes now that we are a little more settled.  She didn't do so well last weekend, a little rusty.  They hope to go back again this Sunday.  She is eager to go, so hopefully that will help with the rust.  :)

The countdown to our cruise has begun!  We can't wait.  We are looking forward to some fun in the sun.  We have begun to try on our summer clothes and make some new purchases.  We still have so much more to buy and get ready. 
We have lots going on this Spring; cruise, birthdays, a graduation, our anniversary.....Love this time of year!

D dressed as a 100 year old for the 100th day of school